Jaden Springer | Summer Sixers Series

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Jaden Springer, so thank you so much for sitting down. We're here at summer League. It is your third Summer League correct, every one?

Yes?

And this morning, coming out of the gym, we sort of argued about what made you a veteran of this team because you're still younger than some of your teammates, but you have the most Sixers experience on this roster. Do we agree about that?

That is true?

Yeah? Okay, So what does it feel like to be in the experience that you've had and to still be young, but to be a veteran and a leader on this Summer League team?

It's kind of weird to hear myself be called like a vet or something like that. Coyle used to be around a guy so much, but being here and being one of the oldest guys here or the most experienced guys here has been pretty good. Definitely different adjusting having guys that's new and I'm gott to be the one to kind of lead a little bit and guys coming in, so it's fun.

Yeah, what's that like? When they come to ask you questions. How does it feel to be the one that's providing the answers instead of asking the questions.

I mean, it's cool, definitely cool to me. It's definitely different though, because I'm so used to being the youngest guy, being the new guy and stuff like that, so it's it's actually fun. Though.

You have North Carolina connections with a couple of our newest players on this team, right, Ricky, you guys are all from North Carolina for sure. How have you bonded and what was it like playing against those guys growing up?

It's been cool. You know. I didn't get to really play against them too much, but you always heard of them, like I'm pretty sure they heard of me. I heard of them like stuff like that. We got mutual friends that we all talk about, so we all kind of know the same people and stuff like that. So being able to chop it up with them, it's been pretty cool.

Have you made any connections with PJ about North Carolina?

For sure? PJ and we had treads too, so all of us were from North Carolina and we just always talking about whose city's better and stuff like that. Little things, but nothing too crazy.

What's the verdict, what's the best North Carolina city?

Charlotte, for sure, they wouldn't agree. They're not gonna agree with that. But I say, Charlotte, what do they all say where they're from? Raley?

I was in Durham for college. I love Durham, but I love Chapel Hill too, And people will get mad at me for that. But like Raley, Durham, Chapel Hill are all great.

That's all like kind of same area, true.

But to them it's different.

Yeah, you know what I mean.

Yeah, we talked about being a vet. Right, you're you're a young player on the Sixers. This is gonna be year three. You've been the youngest thus far. Tyree talks about being the youngest in a lot of situations he's been in. So before we started recording, we were talking a little bit about what it's been like to grow with him. Can you tell us what it's like to sort of be his teammate and be young together. But looking up to him.

It's been pretty cool, you know, just watching him how he handles everything. You know, he's always got a positive attitude even when things might not be going to best, like during the game anything, but he always smiling. I think we all we all can see that he always a good move, So be able to watch him through adversity and stuff and what everything like he's facing anything like,

So I want to ask you about Joel as well, observing the way that he played this season. He and Tires are sort of personality wise, they're very different, but they've both been really successful. They've bonded quite a bit. You got to watch Joel in his MVP season. A lot of players never get a chance to be teammates with an MVP in their active MVP year. What was that experience? Like, what are you gonna remember about it?

Well, it was great just being able to see how he prepare every day and step on the court, Like every time he step on the court, he's getting a job done. He handles his business day in and day out through an eighty two game season. So being able to have the consistency to go out there and do that, a lot of people don't have that. So I feel like that's what separated him and like what made him the MVP being able to go out there every single night and kill and compete.

So you and Joel are obviously very different types of players, right, But if you could take one piece of Joel's game and add it to yours, what would it be.

I mean, he's smooth with the face of If I get that face up, you know that night, a little toucher in the mid range, I can take that heat.

Has he tried to teach you anything?

Like?

Are you able to ask him about this stuff?

Nah? But we played one on one a couple of times here and there. I'll just see like he loved to draw him fouls and stuff like that, so I can pick up on that from him.

Playing one on one on one with Joel embid for people that will never get to do that, which is the vast majority of the population. What is it like?

I mean, it's fun, you know, It's just it's tough when he you know, he's seven foot and he tried to get to the baskets. That's a little tough. But other than that, you know, it's pretty good.

Who else do you play one on one with? Most often? On this roster?

So we won't play one on one too often, but when we do, it's probably be me p read. I remember last year Tuck jumped in with us and then Joe that was that was pretty cool.

So you're always playing against bigger guys, Yeah, for sure, what's that like?

It's cool? I mean the NBA, everybody's pretty tall, so you gotta be able to adjust, you know what I mean?

If you could take something from Tyresee's game, who's more of like similar stize wise, also a guard, what would you take from him?

Uh? The way he attacks, like, you know, his energy, So I feel like that's been pretty big for him and transition, getting it downhill, getting to his floaters, and just using his speeds to his advantage. That's pretty big.

New head coach this year for all of you guys. And it's interesting you're actually sort of getting the first reps being coached by Nick Nurse. Yep, those guys that we're talking about on the roster for the Sixers haven't had that experience yet. What's it been like you're a little around a weekend now with a new coach. What does it felt like?

It's been great? You know, the whole staff like it's a great staff, everybody is. The energy's there every single day. Everybody's locked in then learning the details and everything. So like you can just learn, you can tell you can learn and get better in this environment. And so it's been great.

When you think about training camp to come with this team, what's it going to be like to get together and understanding that you might play a bigger role yourself this year. When you think ahead to joining training camp in September, what are you most looking forward to about bringing yourself your skill set, the staff their skill set, and the guys that you remember playing with from the last couple of years.

I'm just I'm actually pretty excited seeing how this is going. I'm excited to see how everybody blend together, the energy and just the competitiveness, Like I can't wait to see how that is, especially with the staff we have now. So I just want to see how everybody interacts and how it goes. So that's gonna be exciting.

To see two full seasons under your belt. Do you favorite NBA cities, like favorite cities to play in, our favorite cities to explore, hotels, restaurants. Where do you look forward to going on the circuit?

Let me think I don't know anywhere with one weather like one weather is always great, you know, going to Florida, Orlando, Miami, also California, those cities also like Toronto, going out to Canada, it's like a different vibe a little bit, you know, and then going back home to Charlotte. Can't go wrong with that.

Do you bring? Do you have lots of fans come and sit and cheer for you when.

You're in Charlotte's Oh for sure. My mom gonna make sure everybody pull up?

How many even so, like how big is the section and who's in it?

It could be anybody. I could have aunts, uncles, friends, close friends, some of the homies, Like, anybody could be out there. You never know.

So you've been back in Charlotte training between when the season ended and coming out here this summer league. We saw a viral video of you making one hundred out of one hundred and twenty one threes. How let's say, how normal is that for you? Like is your what does your regimen look like? And how frequently are you making threes at that rate?

Oh? Pretty often though, But all season that's definitely been the main focus is shooting the ball. That's pretty much it. That's all. I've been working on my handling, just trying to sharpen up my whole game. Been in the weight room, working on my explosiveness and speed and stuff like that. So just trying to take my overall game to another level.

That clip went pretty viral though, like were you paying attention? How online are you? Do you pay attention when that stuff happens.

I'll be on line, but I don't use Twitter, so I feel like everything's on Twitter, so I don't really be seeing nothing like that, so I don't know. I'll be on Instagram though, that's.

Your favorite, that's your app of choice. Yeah, when you communicate with people, is it text? Is it FaceTime? Is it DM?

Like?

How do you communicate with people you actually know?

Let me think? I think, I don't know. Sometimes I'll be going to go some people. Sometimes I gotta stop that. I do, I gotta stop that. But I say text text the most DM. Sometimes it just depends on the mood I'm in. Some days I don't feel like like talking. I'd be hanging out with my dogs. Sometimes I just be chilling.

So, oh wait, tell me about your You have one dog, you have multiple dogs?

I have three dogs.

Okay, introduce us, introduce the fan base to your dogs. Tell us about them, all right.

So I got I got three French bulldogs. I got two girls. One name is eleven, one name is Chrome. Now I have a boy and his name is Hero.

Tell us where the names come from? My theories, but I want to hear it from me.

So eleven is my name. I mean, eleven is my number. So she got that name, and then I got Chrome, and then her color is like a chrome color, so that's what I went with that, and then Hero, I don't know. I just wanted the boy dog name them heroes. So I don't know. It kind of fit.

Did you watch Stranger Things? I did because I was wondering if people eleven was you or that eleven?

No, people always ask that I got eleven because that's just my number. That's always been my numbers.

Fair enough. What do you What do you stream?

Like?

What do you watch?

I watch everything I watched, I watched everything. I don't know Snowfall, I have seen power Ozark is kind of scary creepy. Yeah.

I have a really low tolerance though, for like, that's that's not too bad.

That's not too bad. I watched. I can. I can name probably a hundred shows I don't watch.

What's the best thing that you watch, Let's say this year.

I don't know. I can't pick. I see so many shows, like it's all like a blur.

Is that like, what are your sort of past times?

Like?

Did you find yourself sitting watching TV? Is that like one of the go tos?

Because outside of basketball, I'll get my work in, I go home, I might I grab some food, I hang out with my dogs and watch TV. That's literally how it goes. I'm not a big gamer or nothing like that. So I just watched TV shows.

Who takes care of your dogs when you're on the road.

I got family that look out for me. I got some family in Jersey and stuff like that.

Okay, So who moved out with you? When you came to Philly for the first time?

Oh? I was by myself? Yeah, I was by myself.

Okay, what was that like? Was that the first time that you were on your own?

Nah? I was on my own in high school and in college. So high school I went to like my sophomore I know, my junior year and my senior year went to school called IMG in Florida, So it was like a boarding school. You got to take care of your stuff, do your own clothes and all that stuff.

So you learned early.

Yeah, and then Tennessee, Tennessee.

What are the big things you'll remember about your time at Tennessee because it was short, but you probably got a lot out of it. So what were the big things from Tennessee?

I don't know. My college was different. I went during COVID, so everything was like so restricted. It was so weird. Even times we would have to practice on FaceTime, Like like on FaceTime you have to it would be like two or three people at a time because the COVID outbreak we hit or something. So we're doing sprints on FaceTime with the train that Like college is different from.

Me, but you'd be going into the gym and the trainer wouldn't be there.

No, he'll be on FaceTime. We had to set up the phone and he has to watch us do our sprints and stuff like that. It was crazy.

I feel like we're sort of just now getting to the point where we can like reflect on COVID and we can all talk to the weird stuff that was happening. I mean, in my job, I was interviewing all you guys, but only on zoom, like I was never seeing anyone. And so like you think back, you're gonna tell your children about that one day. Yeah, they're gonna be like, Dad, you were what you were being taught on FaceTime?

Yeah, that was crazy.

So how much of a relief was it? Then? When you got into the NBA and we're able to sort of work with people in person again.

It was great. You know, I feel like everything started to open back up again. You know, even my first year, we still have to wear our masks, but once the second year hit, nobody was really wearing our masks on the bench and stuff like that. They kind of started easing up a little bit. So it was kind of like a relief.

You know, you've had some good vets, You've had some sort of like esteemed veterans. I'm thinking about Danny Green and PJ Talk. Really those guys are kind of gonna go down in history as as like really great. That's people that stayed in the league for a long time. Is there anyone I'm missing When I think about like sort of who I see as your vets?

I like DeAndre Jordan, you know, He's cool. DeAndre Jordan was cool for sure.

So when I when we talk about let's say those three, maybe Dandy, PJ, DeAndre, what's something you've learned from each of those three that you might want to take with you as your career.

Continues being a professional.

No, no, I'm gonna make you do all three of them.

Oh individually? Oh? Man, Tuck, Let's start with Tuck. Tuck. You all see it like he just how can I describe How can I describe Tuck? What as you say about Tuck?

Like we all see it like he's just he's a big presence.

Yeah, yeah, we could say that for sure. He's always there. He's a guy. He'll look out and he tries to teach too, Like even even the other guy, even the other vets, he'll talk to them and tell them be here, be there, like details and stuff, now where you supposed to be in the court and the timing and all the stuff. He's big on that. So I feel like that's pretty pretty good.

I don't know if you remember his first practice last year when we were all in Charleston, South Carolina, and it was the first time that any of you had really worked with him, because he was coming off of an injury also, and I remember being so impressed by it was his first day with you guys, and he was not shy, like he was pulling guys around. He was pulling people aside. Yeah, I feel like that's rather unique among players.

You don't see that too much. So I can definitely take that from him.

Okay, you mentioned DeAndre. What's something you learned from him?

Dere having a good good energy. You know it'll be Tomsler. Maybe he wasn't on the cord or playing and stuff like that, but you know, he always was positive, He always had fun. He always tried to help out and reach out whenever he can to anybody, even me. He'll see me, He'll come all right, just check it out, play one on one like like little stuff like that. So I feel like he's definitely a good guy to have in your locker room.

Danny Green another defensive minded guard, maybe on or off court. What's something that you're gonna think of when you think about learning from him?

So Danny Green, he got I feel like he got a mixture of both. You know, he got the he got his fun side. He can laugh, he can joke around. I have a good time and then he got his side where he's a series like teaching, teaching, here, go here, be there, timing and stuff like that. Just being on the court nowhere to be and know how to get to your yourself in good position to get to your spots and stuff like that.

So, all right, a couple last questions. We think about fans that want to get to know Jaden. What's something that you think people should know about you that they don't already know.

I don't know. That's tough. I don't know. I'm pretty simple, I hope, and I just watched TV, you know.

But I feel like a lot of people can relate to that. Think about all the kids that are growing up and those are the things that they like to do too. We're thinking about summer League. Now we have a little bit of time left. What are some of your goals for the rest of summer league?

Goals for the rest of some league, win the rest of these games. I would definitely want to win the rest of these games. Just being able to keep learning from the coaches the staff we have around this and keep getting better and keep it proving. That's probably the biggest things for some ree I feel like, that's what it's about, just being able to showcase your talent and get better.

So, and when you think about the season ahead with the Sixers, what are some of your goals for this third year in the NBA.

Third year, I want to make a jump for sure. Definitely want to make a jump. I feel like I've been building each year I've been in the league. My first year I built off that, my second year I built off that. So I feel like I definitely want to make another jump this year.

Is there anything about being in the NBA that you maybe didn't expect that you've learned or something that like expectations versus reality is something that I talked to your teammates about a lot. So when you imagined being in the NBA and what this life would be like, how is it different from what you imagine or maybe what has has lived up to what you were hoping for.

I mean, it's been pretty much what I imagine for the most part. You know, you got the best talent in the world, being able to play against the best guys, playing with some of the best guys, So it's fun. It's like it's like living in your dream since you had as a kid, So be able to make the best, make the best out of everything, every opportunity, every day is a blessing here. So just be able to get better and improve. That's probably the biggest things.

Living in your dreams that you had as a kid. That makes me happy to hear. I'm sure a lot of people are going to love hearing that. Jaden Springer, thank you for sitting down with us today.

Appreciate